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  1. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    Reducing your electrical usage is step #1, for sure. Even for those who don't believe in any of the other things. Just saying...
  2. Marianne

    Our patch of earth

    This is great! A lot of us here have experience on how to cut expenses. I'm a pencil pusher and a list maker as well - this vs that and how much can we save by doing it. It's crazy how little you can live on when you put your mind to it. We had less income, yet it seemed like we had more. The...
  3. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    That's right. That's why I've always liked passive solar, especially scrap heap passive solar. Some areas have a rebate program if you use a solar option along with the electrical grid. They install panels on your roof that you basically rent, but your power bill is so much lower, you end up...
  4. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    I do agree that if you have running water in your area, use hydro. Solar cells have to be manufactured in a responsible way, just like everything else in this world. No such thing as windmill cancer and if you regularly get sunburned, you may end up with 'solar' cancer. But most of those claims...
  5. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    The wind farms that I have seen around here are in open pastures, no limiting acreage use, no habitat destruction. Yes, mining of raw materials, manufacturing, etc but you have that with virtually every single thing that's in your home at this moment. As far as I'm concerned, solar and wind are...
  6. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    We checked into a turbine years ago - $13K. BUT things have improved a lot and are more energy efficient and cheaper now. Our daughter said they're going to check into it. I love passive solar, cheap to make so more bang for your buck. Our oldest son paid around $1400-1600 for four solar panels...
  7. Marianne

    Elwood and family's journal of our ss journey

    Oh yeah! I always wanted a pre-wash station in our garden for the same reason. I was dreaming of using rain catchment, but a garden hose would have worked as well or better here. I had a small stainless sink already, but it never happened. Here's a pic of a pallet one:
  8. Marianne

    Would ya look at that? Just look at it! :)

    Don't forget the whiz factor. Urine. Pee in a coffee canister and add at least 10 parts of water, then use that to "water (fertilize?)" the soil at the base of the plants. Seriously. The gardeners that do that call it 'liquid gold'. I did it on the sly one year after someone on this forum did an...
  9. Marianne

    Nuclear myths and truths

    Add me to the list of people that are pretty cautious about that stuff. I'd rather focus on solar, wind, etc. I read that Kansas now supplies 30% of it's power through wind turbines, but it's not available in our area yet.
  10. Marianne

    Elwood and family's journal of our ss journey

    Nice to meet you, Elwood! DH and I also built our house! I wanted to live in a camper while we built, but he refused, so we did a lot of driving back and forth with supplies. It took forever, but we got it done. You'll get it done, too. Can you just live in an RV or camper on your property? So...
  11. Marianne

    Lip Gloss

    This is great! With the addition of the glycerin, your lips don't end up feeling dry afterwards, right?
  12. Marianne

    A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

    Your work has and is paying off. Good for you!
  13. Marianne

    A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

    Or a small section for a permanent garlic bed or those little repeater onions?
  14. Marianne

    ALL THINGS TOPICAL

    That's pretty interesting about the figs. I've only had dried figs that I bought, never have seen a fig tree around here. Our son ate tons of them when he lived in India and seemed a little disappointed when I told him fig trees must not survive our climate.
  15. Marianne

    Bte experiment. Direct sow into wood chips

    Wowser! Those look great!
  16. Marianne

    Flea & Tick treatment

    We had two boxers that ran in a large fenced yard or on the acreage when we were outside, but were basically house dogs. For fleas in the yard, I'd broadcast Borax (20 Mule Team) right before it rained. It will work for 2 or 3 years before you need to do it again. It also repels other...
  17. Marianne

    WHO'S LURKING?

    Yes! We'd love to hear from you and we're happy to help with any questions.
  18. Marianne

    ALL THINGS TOPICAL

    When I was a kid, we went to OK to visit my aunt. I was chewed up by mosquitoes the next day. She wiped ACV all over me. It took away the itch, and prevented more bites. You can also pinch off a bit of ACV mother to use for pain relief. I tried it on a scrape on my knee and it knocked the pain...
  19. Marianne

    ALL THINGS TOPICAL

    This thread is great! I live in cottonwood country so I did the cottonwood buds in oil. It does give some relief, but sometimes you have to break out the big guns. This worked better for me. It makes a HUGE batch, I think I made 1/4 and still have some after several years. Still works... Sore...
  20. Marianne

    WW2 Rationing Recipes - American

    So, I finally got around to making the Knox butter extender. I used a pint mason jar and a stick blender which made it a lot easier. Looked like butter, pretty much tasted like butter...and I had soggy toast. But I just had some on a baked sweet potato and it was good! My husband just gave me...
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